Wendy Holdener and Anna Swenn Larsson win the slalom at Killington. Shiffrin reassembled – Corriere.it

Mikaela Shiffrin’s setbackdefeated in slalom by Anna Swenn Larsson and Wendy Holdener (the success for the Swede and the Swiss ex aequo) and the beautiful duel between Marco Odermatt and Aleksander Aamodt Kildewith the Swiss beating the Norwegian in super-G after being overtaken in the downhill: these are the verdicts of the final act of the first North American weekend of the Ski World Cup, between Killington (USA) where the women and Lake Louise (Canada), where men were the protagonists.

Let’s start with the big surprise: when she seemed to be on her way to her third slalom victory of the season (in three races), Mikaela Shiffrin experienced the slap of defeat. And the one who should be the main rival among the rapid gates, namely Petra Vlhova, did not take advantage of the knockout day of the American champion: nothing to do as well for the specialty cup holder, beaten in a moment in which she still seems packed in the action. In Killington therefore the triumph for two and the first time that Swenn Larsson and Holdener arrive first between the posts. For the Swiss, Olympian and multiple world champion, as well as a regular podium athlete, also the end of a little nightmare: in the Cup she has only won three more times, but in parallel and in combined, not exactly top specialties. With this center in slalom she marks a turning point.

Shiffrin, who was unbeaten in Killington and who after Levi’s 1-2 was chasing victory number 77 in the white circus and her fiftieth in slalom, hoisted herself to the lead after the first heat. But she didn’t appear as incisive as usual, so much so that in the second descent she cashed in the comeback of the Swede (from fifth place) and the Swiss (who was pressing her from second place). The podium was completed by Austrian Troops, another of those who improved the standings in round 2, ahead of Vlhova. As for Italy, after Anita Gulli’s points in Levi came those of Marta Rossetti (eighteenth: seven positions recovered) and Federica Brignone, who recovered from twenty-eighth to twenty-fourth place. Federica thought of the race only as a super-training, while Rossetti was one of the athletes who, during the season, was asked to improve the difficult situation in a specialty that for too many years hadn’t given pink Italy any satisfaction.

Finally, here we are in Lake Louise, the men and a super-G who confirmed that, barring additions during construction, this year the battle for the overall trophy will be between Odermatt and Kilde. Impressive performance by the Swiss, holder of the crystal globe and now already on the run at the top of the standings: when he went down he inflicted gaps of over 1 second. Then Kilde, Mayer (third) and Krieckmayr (fourth) kept the defeat within more human margins, without however having a chance to change the fate of the race. Italy closes – speaking of the best athletes – with 18th place in Paris and 23rd in Innerhofer: Dominik, who fell downhill, didn’t ski badly, but still far away, in super-G, from the athlete we met and that we have seen winning specialty cup and world gold.

The first super-G of the season gave real chills for the bad flight of the Swiss Mauro Caviezel, returning after a year and a half stop following the bad accident in January 2021 in Garmisch (the Swiss also had vision problems as a result of that crash). He was taken away by helicopter, according to the new procedures, but he was seen to get up, even if his face was swollen from the violent impact on the snow. Difficult to recover for Beaver Creek, but at least he seems to have escaped serious trouble.